It is well known that trash in fast-food restaurants is generally light in weight because it includes drinking cups, cardboard food containers, wrapping papers, and molded plastic food containers. When patrons of the restaurant eat within the restaurant, it is normal for them to deposit their trash into a trash receptacle which includes a housing within which a trash container is provided and having a swinging door for access to the interior of the housing which allows the patrons to deposit trash through the swinging door into the trash container located within the housing. It is also known to provide plastic liners for the trash containers in the form of bags within which the trash is collected and thereafter removed from the trash containers when filled. Such trash handling units require the use of many plastic trash bags and labor intensive manpower to handle the bags and maintain the trash within the containers at a level that will allow them to receive further trash, so that it does not spill out onto the floor.
Further, considerable storage area is necessary in order to store filled trash bags accumulated during the servicing of a trash receptacle. A bag holding the trash in the container must be removed from the container, closed and tied off and replaced with another empty bag. Then the filled bag is removed to a disposal service area for storage until a garbage service removes the trash. Because of the rapid buildup of trash, manual handling of filled trash bags and a large storage area must be provided to accommodate the filled trash bags.
Heretofore, it has been well known to provide trash handling devices which include compactors for trash containers such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,374. However, the problem with the trash compactor in this patent is that the trash inlet door of the housing can be opened during at least a portion of the compacting function, thereby endangering workers. Further, the lever and handle mechanism for operating a compactor is located on the top of the housing of the device which is objectionable since this location interferes with the use of the top of the device for the storage of reusable trays and can be easily operated by customers.